LifeWay invites employees to day of prayer, fasting

LifeWay CEO says event designed to help workers focus on tasks

Mar. 29, 2013

LifeWay CEO Thom Rainer

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The Tennessean

A Lifeway store

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Thousands of employees at LifeWay Christian Resources took part Thursday in a first-ever companywide day of prayer and fasting.

With at least three major projects in the offing for the Christian-based publishing house, company officials said they set aside the day to help employees focus on the tasks ahead, LifeWay CEO Thom Rainer said.

He said the company told its more than 4,000 employees that participating in the fast was “strictly voluntary” and that anyone with health issues or other concerns might not want to take part. He also said LifeWay was not tracking who was or was not taking part in the daylong fast.

Rainer said the employees were given about a week’s notice of the day of fasting and were given reminders leading up to the day. He said food was available at snack machines around the building, but the main cafeteria was closed in observance of the day of fasting.

Employees at LifeWay locations across the country were asked to participate, along with the 57 members of the company’s board of trustees.

Rainer said he could tell a difference in the Nashville office.

In one instance, he said, a group of employees was taking part in a Skype conversation with the authors of “The Love Dare for Parents,” a book that is scheduled to be released later this year. The original “Love Dare” was a No. 1 New York Times best-seller that has sold 5 million copies.

“To see 100 or so people really engaged and then joining together to pray, there was a palpable sense that something different was going on today,” Rainer said on Thursday.

Fasting is a key spiritual discipline for many faiths. According to New Testament accounts, Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights before starting his ministry.

LifeWay recommended two approaches: Employees could fast from midnight Thursday to midnight Friday or they could start their fast at 6 p.m. Wednesday and end it at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Rainer said he wasn’t sure if the company would hold another day of fasting.

'A special day'

“Without a doubt, today was a special day at LifeWay,” Rainer said. “But I don’t want this to become just another corporate initiative. As often happens with special days, it can be very hard to re-create them.”

Nancy Reece, a senior consultant with Brentwood-based Human Capital Group, said group activities in the workplace should be tied to a common purpose.

“If the events really tie into the mission of the company, it can be really positive,” Reece said. “But if it’s just about having fun, it’s just going to be another flavor of the month.”